IPL 2021 | CSK vs SRH: What Experts said as Chennai rub salt on Hyderabad's open wounds

Chennai Super Kings are back on the top of the table after a thumping win over Sunrisers Hyderabad who are already struggling in this edition of the IPL to find any rhythm. CSK won by 7 wickets while chasing a target of 172 in 20 overs in Delhi on Wednesday. 

Openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis once again showed their class and put yet another 100-run stand for the first wicket. 

Gaikwad who continued his form in this encounter against SRH notched up 75 off 44 that included 12 boundaries before getting cleaned up by Rashid Khan. 

The Afghan spinner broke Gaikwad’s defence to send him packing.

On the other side, Du Plessis carried on his purple patch with the bat and struck yet another half-century in IPL 2021. The right-hander scored 56 off 38 before getting trapped in front of the stumps by Rashid. 

CSK only lost one more wicket during the chase in the form of Moeen Ali’s dismissal who was caught in the deep by Kedar Jadhav off Rashid. The spinner scalped all the three wickets that went down. 

Later Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina made sure that there were no more fall of wickets and the two left-handers took CSK over the line in the 19th over with 9 balls to spare. 

Earlier, David Warner after winning the toss opted to bat first. SRH lost Jonny Bairstow early in the innings but captain Warner and Manish Pandey steadied the ship for the side and put up 106 runs for the second wicket on the board. 

Both the players scored individual half-centuries but the Hyderabad side needed to push the scoring rate which was provided by Kane Williamson later on. 

Williamson’s late surge saw the New Zealand skipper scoring 26* off just 10 balls taking the total to 171/3 in 20 overs. 

Lungi Ngidi picked up a couple of wickets for CSK while Sam Curran got one. Sunrisers skipper Warner’s slow-paced innings was one of the reasons why the team wasn’t able to put up a total that could have created some problems for CSK. He did score 57 that came off 55 deliveries which had three boundaries and two sixes during the course. 

Captains’ corner

SRH captain David Warner admitted that the way he batted became the reason for his team getting under pressure.

“I take full responsibility for the way I batted, it was really slow, found a lot of fielders and I got frustrated. The way Manish batted was exceptional. Kane got us to a respectable total, but I take full responsibility as it was a total below par. I probably hit 15 good shots to the fielders, I couldn't do much about it. They are the ones that make or break your innings. It gets frustrating as a batsman when you find the fielders. We had 170 on the board but we couldn't take powerplay wickets and it's always tough (to come back) on a good surface like this,” Warner said. 

Warner lavished praise on Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis for the way the two batted and scored a 100-run stand during the chase to give CSK a steady start. 

“Their two openers batted really well, but we fought well in the end. Felt like you could squeeze a bit after those wickets but they were always ahead in the game. He (Kane) was going to bat four no matter what, that's where he bats, that is his job, just that I soaked up too many balls. It's about being positive, it's a good batting surface. We have a day game here as well. 170 is about a par total at night, but things could be different in a day game. From a batting perspective we need to find the gaps and need to be positive. We are a bunch of fighters. The guys will be hurt by this, but they'll be up and about,” he added. 

To everyone’s surprise, there wasn’t really much for the spinners on the track in Delhi and CSK skipper MS Dhoni too admitted that the ball was coming nicely on the bat and didn’t really have any spin on offer. 

“The batting was superb. But that doesn't mean the bowling was not good. It was a surprisingly good wicket. Whenever we come to Delhi we never expect a wicket like this. It was coming on nicely, there was nothing for the spinners as well. Good thing was there was no dew. Last night we felt 170 was just below par if there's no dew. Brilliant opening partnership. Addressing the problem (how the change from last season). Whenever you start the tournament, you may or may not face issues in playing XI. The earlier you settle the better,” Dhoni said. 

Dhoni also talked about how the players have taken up the onus on themselves especially after the team fared in the last edition of the tournament. 

“Overall if I have to sum it up, the players have taken more responsibility this year. You will be facing adverse things but ultimately it boils down to how each individual rises to the occasion and gives the extra 10 percent for the team. Last 8-10 years we've not changed a lot of players so they know our approach. Also we appreciate the players not playing a lot. Only way you can put it forward is having those nice interactions. Just try to have the frame of mind where if you get the opportunity you'll be ready. Keeping the dressing room atmosphere healthy is important,” he further added. 

Experts’ opinion

Commentator Harsha Bhogle was of the opinion that SRH might have fallen short 10-15 runs but the total was still defendable especially after the kind of bowling attack they had in the lineup for the game against CSK. 

Harsha heaped praises for the way CSK went after the chase in Delhi. 

Boria Majumdar hailed the way CSK dominated the run chase. 

Boria also appreciated the efforts put in by Rashid who picked up three wickets during the course. 

Journalist Ayaz Memon had lavished praise for the CSK side and how the team looks balanced in all the departments. 

CSK will now face MI on Saturday while SRH would be up against RR on Sunday in Delhi.